Breast tissue, like all other tissues in the body, has electrical properties because the fluid between cells and the cell membranes behave in a manner similar to resistors and capacitors commonly found in electronic circuits. A set of electrodes is placed on the breast, and an imperceptible electrical current is passed through various pairs of electrodes. The measured impedance to the flow of the current reflects the electrical properties of the tissue elements in the current path.

When an area of the breast becomes malignant there is (a) an increase in the volume of fluid in the region and (b) the cell membrane becomes electrically porous, both changes resulting in a decrease in electrical impedance in the cancerous area.

Electrical changes associated with cancer, therefore, can be regarded as a marker that can be detected by a system capable of measuring electrical impedance throughout the breast.

Performing the Z-Tech Breast Scan >